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October 01
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Hara
gave
 
to:
Resurrecting Hebrew (Jewish Encounters)
by Ilan Stavans
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in September, 2008
Hara said:
"A fascinating exploration of the Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and the creation of modern Hebrew. Stavans takes readers along on his personal quest to better understand Ben-Yehuda's legacy, meeting interesting scholars and thinkers along the way. This is not ...more
A fascinating exploration of the Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and the creation of modern Hebrew. Stavans takes readers along on his personal quest to better understand Ben-Yehuda's legacy, meeting interesting scholars and thinkers along the way. This is not a dry, scholarly study but rather a quirky, subjective tale of Stavans' own relationship with Hebrew, Israel, Judaism, identity, and language. A worthwhile read and the basis for many interesting discussions about the importance of Hebrew in particular and language in general. ...less
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Hara
gave
to:
The Line of Beauty (Paperback)
by Alan Hollinghurst
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Hara said:
"Set primarily in London in the 1980's, this absorbing novel has at its center a young gay man whose live becomes increasingly intertwined with the ups and downs of a wealthy family whose patriarch holds a political post. When Nick graduates from col...more
Set primarily in London in the 1980's, this absorbing novel has at its center a young gay man whose live becomes increasingly intertwined with the ups and downs of a wealthy family whose patriarch holds a political post. When Nick graduates from college, he is offered a place to live with a college-friend's family in their swank home, and access to their live of privilege. As Nick discovers what it is to be a gay man coming into his own in the age of AIDS, he deals with the many-layered experience of being an outsider yet often passing for an insider. The language is rich and textured, and the characters are believable and compelling. ...less
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September 11
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Hara
gave
to:
If Today Be Sweet: A Novel (Hardcover)
by Thrity Umrigar
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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September 09
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Hara
gave
to:
The Yiddish Policemen's Union (Hardcover)
by Michael Chabon
bookshelves:
fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Hara said:
"This book is based on the clever premise that the State of Israel failed, and a Jewish, Yiddish-speaking district was created in Alaska as a refuge for the stateless, homeless Jews. Chabon conjures up a dirty, gray, grim Jewish world in Alaska that ...more
This book is based on the clever premise that the State of Israel failed, and a Jewish, Yiddish-speaking district was created in Alaska as a refuge for the stateless, homeless Jews. Chabon conjures up a dirty, gray, grim Jewish world in Alaska that is running out of time. There is some great writing here, a sweet-sour humor, a heap of despair, and lots of fun word plays. Yet the book felt overbearingly macho and superficial. Part noire gumshoe detective homage, part universal Jewish story of endless exile, this testosterone-fueled, energy packed novel lacks, with a few notable exceptions, depth and character development. The plot only kicks in about halfway through. ...less
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September 01
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Hara
gave
to:
The Double Bind (Hardcover)
by Chris Bohjalian (Goodreads author!)
bookshelves:
fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2008
Hara said:
"I was totally blind-sided by this book. I am generally of fan of Bohjalian, who writes with great sensitivity about everyday, generally good people caught in extraordinary, ethically tricky situations. This novel, however, felt unpolished. Constru...more
I was totally blind-sided by this book. I am generally of fan of Bohjalian, who writes with great sensitivity about everyday, generally good people caught in extraordinary, ethically tricky situations. This novel, however, felt unpolished. Constructed in such a way as to surprise the reader, it did manage to surprise me. However, the characters lacked the depth that I expect from this author so that the story-line never felt believable. When the surprise arrived, it felt overly manufactured. What blind-sided me was not the surprise, which I began to sense was coming as the story progressed, but rather how much of the book hinged on what was essentially a gimmick rather than the great storytelling and characters I expect from Bohjalian. ...less
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Hara
gave
to:
The Toss of a Lemon (Hardcover)
by Padma Viswanathan
bookshelves:
fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2008
Hara said:
"This book provides a fascinating view of life in India before independence. Beginning in the 1890's and proceeding up to the present, this ambitious books covers several generations of a Brahmin family. Despite being filled with a multiplicity of c...more
This book provides a fascinating view of life in India before independence. Beginning in the 1890's and proceeding up to the present, this ambitious books covers several generations of a Brahmin family. Despite being filled with a multiplicity of characters, each one is real, unique, and compelling. The center of this story is Sivakami, who gracefully grows throughout the novel from a naive young girl to a wise old woman. Along the way, the book offers a view of Brahmin life and the challenges faced by that traditional way of life from the encroachments of modernity. Almost 700 pages long, this book was great from start to finish. ...less
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August 20
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Hara
gave
to:
A Conspiracy of Paper (Paperback)
by David Liss (Goodreads author!)
bookshelves:
fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Hara said:
"Though dense at times, this historical novel offers a glimpse into Jewish life in London several hundred years ago. Liss does a great job of weaving human stories together with the story of changes in the ways the world does business. Liss used a s...more
Though dense at times, this historical novel offers a glimpse into Jewish life in London several hundred years ago. Liss does a great job of weaving human stories together with the story of changes in the ways the world does business. Liss used a similar technique to great effect in The Coffee Trader, so that the business story is as compelling as the human. Full of great, sordid characters and interesting, seedy corners of old London. ...less
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August 18
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Hara
gave
to:
Free Food for Millionaires (Paperback)
by Min Jin Lee
bookshelves:
fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Hara
gave
to:
Water for Elephants (Paperback)
by Sara Gruen
bookshelves:
fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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